Feinstein And Boxer Now Support Filibuster Reform

California’s senators were among the last holdouts within the Democratic Party to embrace filibuster reform.

They changed their positions after a third presidential nominee to the DC Circuit Court was blocked this week. That court oversees many regulations that come from the Executive Branch – regulations we all feel, though rarely know about.

California Senator Barbara Boxer also points to the Republican effort that delayed a vote on the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency over the summer.

She’s hoping the rule change can also fill a vacancy at the EPA’s Office of Water.

“Our state is very environmentally conscious. We’ve got social justice questions, we have got clean air questions, we have water questions,” Boxer said.

Republicans are furious with the change that has been called the ‘nuclear option.’ They promise to use the rule change under Republican presidents to pack the nation’s courts with more conservative judges.

Based on Capitol Hill, Matt Laslo is a reporter who has been covering Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court since 2006. He has filed stories for NPR and more than 40 of its affiliates, including Capital Public Radio. Read Full Bio